Hiding in a Lie
by Windy
Summary: Sequal to Never is a Promise! Alex is forced to go back to Hogwarts to join in the fight against Voldemort. Chaos ensues when there is a traitor in the group and Snape is revealed as a spy. Mainly SSOC!
1. Chapter One

Hiding in a Lie  
  
Sequel to Never is a Promise  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Everyone is at their posts." A tall, dark-skinned girl announced as she approached Alex. Alex smiled slightly as she turned away from the window that she had been keeping watch from.  
  
"Good. So the Hayford's got out okay?" she asked, fiddling slightly with the wand she held in her hand. She was anxious to get this mission done and over with.  
  
"Yep. The ministry has them in hiding somewhere. They didn't want to tell us the details in case the plan backfired." Paige explained.  
  
"Yeah well, it's not going to backfire." Alex replied, frowning darkly. She didn't always see eye to eye with the ministry and she didn't think that they really cared for her much, but she got the job done so that was all they really cared about.  
  
"You know Johnson. He always plans for the worst. Afraid that if he didn't, something will go wrong." Paige shrugged. Johnson was the head boss that assigned the group many of the missions that they had completed so far in the past few months. The most out of the entire department, in fact. And he always enjoyed giving Alex hell.  
  
"He's just a worry wart but I guess if someone needs to be, it's him. His whole job runs on these escapades, not to mention ours as well." She replied thoughtfully. Alex could see where her boss would worry and care more for the what ifs. As much as she tried not to worry, it was rather good that someone was. But that didn't mean that she had to like the man.  
  
"You should get back to your post. They're gonna be here any minute." Alex said glancing down at her watch.  
  
"Sir yes sir!" Paige smirked, saluting Alex as she headed back into the other room. Shaking her head at her teammate, she turned back to the window where she was looking for any source of movement in the dark night.  
  
It had been about nine months since Alex had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nine months since she had had her heart broken, yet it still felt like only yesterday.  
  
After leaving, she had come home and graduated college in the top of her class. Surprisingly, Snape had given her top marks in her student teaching. Dumbledore had even written a strong letter of achievement to the administration. Alex had ended up the third highest in her graduating class, not that it really mattered to her. At that point, nothing really did. She just wanted to move on with her life. Maybe start fresh somewhere, where she would be able to forget that Severus Snape even existed. Damn, that was going to be hard to do!  
  
Before Alex had a chance to even think about getting a teaching job somewhere, the United States Ministry of Magic had contacted her about a possible job placement for her. Seems that with her top marks and customary impertinence, the ministry felt that she would be a perfect candidate for what they had in mind.  
  
The job was in the defense branch of the ministry. You see, Voldemort's power was quickly spreading worldwide. Underground death eater groups were forming all throughout the nation. At first, they had remained pretty quiet but recently attacks had increased by almost fifty-percent! The ministry could no longer ignore the threat of war that had already pretty much started over in Europe. Activating a type of security breach, the officials were quickly recruiting wizards and witches to help to fight back against the attacks.  
  
Alex quickly agreed to the job and had soon found herself going through weeks of extensive training. It wasn't long before she quickly moved up in the line and found herself the leader of a group of six others. They were the best in their field and had proved themselves worthy many times, all the while keeping secretive so that the enemy could not learn their true identities. Alex was in charge and she loved it.  
  
A lot of the time, the group would get word of specific attacks that were planned. Many against ministry officials and people that openly opposed Voldemort and his followers. Some of them were not even well known. Just your average Joe, who had picked the side of good rather then evil. The group came by their information many different ways. From going undercover in places that the Dark Lord's followers frequently visited, to anonymous tips sent in to Johnson.  
  
While being immersed in such stressful and fast-paced work, you would think that Alex wouldn't have much time to dwell on a certain someone back in England. Of course that wasn't true. She constantly found herself wondering how he was doing and if he missed her. She wondered what he would think about her job and if he would be proud that she was out there, fighting. Making a difference in something that seemed to grow more deadly every day. Alex supposed that he forgot about her the minute she walked out the door. But she still had some type of connection with him through her letters from Lia.  
  
The girl wrote to her constantly, telling her about everything that was going on back at the school. Her husband, Sirius Black, had gone under a trial and his previous charges were dismissed. Of course, there was the occasional mention of Snape but nothing big. Just how he seemed to become even more cruel to the students with each passing day. Alex refused to let herself read into it. In fact, she tried to not think of him as much as possible, preferring to engross herself with her work. But it never seemed to work very long.  
  
A movement outside brought her from her thoughts. The death eaters had finally arrived.  
  
"They're outside. Be ready." Alex whispered. Each member of the team was wearing an electronic earpiece so that they could easily communicate with each other. They discovered that using muggle technology was more effective since the enemy would be looking for spells and magical equipment. In fact, the enemy seemed to concentrate more on curses and spells rather then physical defense, which Alex's team had started working on. It would come in handy in case you got disarmed. Or, at least, that was what they hoped. It provided some kind of backup plan.  
  
Alex watched intently from behind the curtain, careful to not be seen. Every movement from here on in was crucial and they could not afford to mess up. From the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the team come into the room, taking places along the shadows of the walls and furniture. The room was pitch black and it was easy to hide. It didn't take long for the death eaters to make their way up the front walk. Alex quickly counted six of them; not a bad haul at all. That is, if they caught them. Hopefully none got away.  
  
Alex moved deeper into the shadows as the front door swung open and the enemy came into the room. So far the group hadn't been seen and the plan was going well.  
  
"They're probably in bed asleep. Once we get them, cast the mark over the house. It's time for everyone to know where their allegiances should lie." One death eater instructed his voice hard and cold.  
  
"And where may I ask should that be? I surely hope not with Voldemort." Alex said, not moving from her spot. The death eaters turned, startled at the voice. They obviously had not expected anyone to be there.  
  
"Lumos!" One of them commanded and the room lit up at the light from his wand. Now the enemy could see all seven of them, stationed around the room. Instantly, they knew it was a trap. The leader quickly fired a curse at Alex who easily obstructed it with a simple blocking spell. This act signaled the beginning of the fight, which honestly enough, didn't last very long.  
  
They had quickly overcome the death eaters and were able to keep them all alive. It would prove well for questioning under trial. Alex supposed that they would use a truth serum to get the information needed out of them and who knows, maybe they would have another assignment quicker then they thought.  
  
It was late when Alex apparated into her apartment. After capturing the death eaters, she had a huge pile of paperwork waiting for her back at the office. It was now almost three in the morning and her roommate was already sound asleep in bed. Alex put on the light in the kitchen, throwing her cloak over one of the chairs. The mail was on the table and she started shifting through it. Bills, bills, and more bills. That was all she seemed to get lately. Under the pile was a letter from Lia. Alex smiled happily since she hadn't heard from her friend in a while. She headed over to the sink as she broke the seal on the envelope and poured herself a glass of water. The letter read:  
  
Dear Alex,  
  
I'm sorry I haven't written lately but things are getting hectic over here. Voldemort's been attacking more frequently and with stronger forces. That is why I am writing to you. Albus has requested that the United States is to send help with the war. Although, I do not understand why he is having me write to you about this but maybe you have connections I do not know about in the ministry. But anyway, he asks that a team of the finest wizards and witches to be sent to Hogwarts. If you can help in anyway, please do so. I won't lie to you, Alex. It's getting pretty ugly over here. Regardless, I do hope that you are doing well and Ayla and Sirius both say hi. Hope to hear from you soon.  
  
Lia Black  
  
Alex couldn't believe it. She knew that it would be her team that Johnson would send over there. Any chance to get her out of his hair! But she didn't think that she would be able to go. To have to face Snape again. It was just starting to get to the point where thinking about him didn't cause her excruciating pain. Alex didn't think she could handle having her heart broken again. And by the same person. Maybe there was a chance that she would be able to convince Johnson to send another team. But either way, she would still bring up the request. If it was as bad as Lia had made it sound, then Europe would need all the help they could get.  
  
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	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
It was early evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the entire school was assembled into the Great Hall for their dinner feast. School hadn't been in session for a full month yet and Snape's wrath was already coming down on the students.  
  
As he picked at his food, Snape couldn't help but remember the preceding year, when he first laid eyes on Alex Harper. She was the first woman he had ever come across that actually laughed at him. Snape had not been pleased, since this was done in front of the entire student body. He became even more displeased when she easily became the favorite among the students. Alex Harper was nothing but an annoying nuisance that never seemed to go away. And when she finally did, it only caused him to become even more irritable. The truth was he had fallen in love with her and he didn't pretend to deny it on the inside. But hell if you could get him to acknowledge that in public!  
  
Snape couldn't help but remember the chaotic summer that had just passed. He had fully managed to get back into Voldemort's inner circle and had resumed all spying duties that he had performed in the past for Dumbledore. Let's just say, it had not been an easy task. There were many nights where Snape had come back to Hogwarts bruised and beaten due to Voldemort's hissy fits. Especially after the Order had sabotaged one of his 'grand' schemes to kill Potter. Snape assumed that the boy had been a cat in a past life. He seemed to have more then nine lives.  
  
The Great Hall door slammed open, bringing Snape out of his thoughts. Looking up from his plate, a group of seven witches and wizards were making their way up the aisle. Looking closer, Snape realized that the young woman leading the group was none other then Alex Harper.  
  
Alex couldn't believe she was back here, after silently vowing to never come within ten feet of this place again! But she didn't really have a choice in the situation. Once Johnson had read the letter about the mission he blatantly stated that it was her team that was going and that was the end of it. They had gotten into a heated argument where Johnson revealed that he knew all about Snape, having seen the picture of him she kept in her desk drawer. Lia had sent it to her a couple month before, after taking it with a muggle camera. The Muggle Studies class had been learning about muggle photography and Lia had seized an opportunity to snap a picture of him. Of course he was scowling in the picture but it was him none the less. And somewhere in the argument, Alex had lost and was sent with her team to England the very next day.  
  
A feeling of dread intensified with each step through the Great Hall. Since their entry, everyone sat in dead silence and the only thing that could be heard was the seven sets of footsteps. From the corner of her eye, she could see Snape watching her with a look of shock across his face. But it didn't last long as it was quickly masked with a look of nonchalance. Well, at least she knew that he recognized her. Alex had to admit that she looked a bit different from when she was here last. She was wearing leather pants and a tank top under a thin robe; all of it was in black. In fact, the whole crew was wearing black. It was sort of cliché but it had an intimidating affect and it served its purpose since inside, Alex was a bundle of nerves.  
  
Dumbledore stood from his seat as Alex stopped in front of faculty table.  
  
"I must say I am impressed Alex. I did not anticipate such a quick response." He said, his eye twinkling down at her.  
  
"We recognized the urgency of the situation and have responded accordingly. As many do not seem to believe, the United States is completely aware of the circumstances that have been occurring and offer our services as have been requested." Alex spoke formally. Dumbledore nodded slightly in acknowledgment.  
  
"I believe that you and your team are tired from such a long journey. We have rooms prepared for all of you. Alex, I do believe you remember the way to your old quarters. The rest of you will be escorted." He said as a couple house elves appeared in the side doorway. Alex gave a brief nod, and turned to leave, catching Snape's eye momentarily. Before she could exit with the rest of her group, Lia had crushed her into a bone-breaking hug.  
  
"Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me?" the older girl exclaimed, as she released Alex for air.  
  
"There wasn't any time and I thought it better as a surprise." Alex admitted. Lia frowned at her but didn't press the issue. What she had really meant was why Alex didn't tell her that she was working against Voldemort. She had led them all to believe that she had some small desk job in the ministry. Well, wasn't this a shocker?!  
  
"We'll talk later, okay?" Alex said softly, giving her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"You better believe it! I'll see you later tonight." Lia said, giving Alex another hug before she disappeared out the door.  
  
Alex made her way slowly through the hallways leading to her old room. She could still feel her heart beating loudly in her chest. He had stared at her the entire time. It took every ounce of willpower to not look over at him. It took every ounce of physical and emotional strength not to breakdown out there. On the outside, she seemed cool and collected. She was obviously the one in charge. But on the inside, she was a mess of emotions.  
  
Alex reached her room and was surprised to find it exactly the way she had left it. It was kind of refreshing, making her feel like she had come home. Of course there was that problem of being right near the dungeons. But she would deal with that problem later. All she wanted at that moment was a long hot shower before Dumbledore would be summoning her and her team for a late night meeting.  
  
Next: A late night meeting, introductions, and a confrontation.  
  
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	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Alex walked hastily through the empty hallways, heading towards Dumbledore's office. It was just past midnight and she had received an owl once she had gotten out of the shower. As Alex had assumed, there was to be a short meeting. It was most likely to explain why she and her team were there, since it seemed that Dumbledore did not inform many of his request for help. That many, being Severus Snape.  
  
Entering the office, everyone was already there sitting or standing in various part of the room. Her team sat clustered together in front of the desk, talking amongst each other. Most of them were tired from the long journey and the time difference.  
  
"Ah, so she finally graces us with her presence." Snape sneered from the corner, where he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him.  
  
"I don't know why you're complaining, Snivellus. You just got here yourself." A man with dark hair said from sitting next to Lia. A couple of the people in the room starting laughing as Snape glowered at the man. Humiliated, he whipped out his wand from inside is cloak and stood to face off with the man. In turn, the man reached for his wand but was halted by Lia as she grabbed his arm.  
  
"Don't you dare, Sirius! This isn't the time or place for your foolish childhood animosity." It seemed to Alex that this was an often occurrence. Wow, she thought that her and Snape had issues with each other. He and Sirius were much worse.  
  
"You are so lucky my wife is here, Snivellus." Sirius said, glaring up at Snape, as he put his wand away.  
  
"What, are you Lia's lapdog now Black?" Snape smirked, not lowering his wand.  
  
"Enough! This is not the impression I wished to make on our guests. Severus, sit down!" Dumbledore said standing up from his chair. Snape instantly complied, not wishing to get into more trouble with the headmaster.  
  
"Now Alex, I am sorry for that. Please have a seat." Dumbledore said kindly, since Alex was still standing in the doorway. She sat down with the rest of her team as Dumbledore went to start the meeting.  
  
"I would like to welcome our new recruits to the Order of the Phoenix. The order is a secret society that I have put together. The first group was during the original reign of Voldemort. I have reactivated the order when Voldemort was restored to full health a little over a year ago. I requested your help due to our loss of original members. In this war, we need all the willing help we can get." Dumbledore explained to Alex and her group.  
  
"There are a handful of people off on missions right now, but allow me to introduce the members that here. Alex, you know Lia, Fiona, Remus, Severus, Minerva, and Hagrid. The man you saw fighting with Severus, is Sirius Black, Lia's husband."  
  
"Weren't you the guy who was sent to Azkaban for killing thirteen people with a single curse?" one of Alex's teammates asked. Sirius looked up proudly.  
  
"Wow! My reputation precedes me! I'm known in bloody America!" Lia couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husband. Only he would be proud of that.  
  
"Sirius was cleared of all charges this past summer." Dumbledore explained. Alex's team nodded their head in acknowledgment while Alex just grinned over at Lia. She had written Alex and told her of the trial, during the summer. Dumbledore went on to introduce Tonks, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Kingsley, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Mundungus Fletcher, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, and Hestia Jones. Alex knew it was going to take her awhile to learn all these names!  
  
"Alex if you wouldn't mind telling us what you and your team have been doing over in the States? From what most of us have heard, you had a desk job in the ministry." Professor McGonagall asked politely.  
  
"Well I guess I should start at the beginning. After I left here, I graduated from college and was recruited for a special branch of the American ministry of magic. I was put in charge of this team and what we have been doing is going undercover to find information from the death eaters themselves as well as ambushing attacks. It's not that big of a deal but if it helps in the war, we do it." Alex explained, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear nervously. She didn't really like being the center of attention and at that moment every eye in the room was on her. Especially those of Severus Snape.  
  
"Oh please! You are being entirely too modest, Alexandra." a light brown haired man exclaimed from beside her. He turned to address the group. "She has always been modest, even when we dated back in school. Under Alexandra's instruction, we have saved so many lives and spoiled many of the Dark Lord's plans. I believe that we have accomplished the most successful missions out of the entire branch of the ministry. We are honestly the best, and it's all because of Alexandra."  
  
"And who might you be?" Snape asked, having a feeling that he knew exactly who he was.  
  
"This is Scott." Alex said, carefully avoiding eye contact with Snape and Lia. Both of them were glaring down at her. This was the man who hurt her and here she was sitting next to him! "The others are Paige, Nate, Anitrey, Carlos, and Kimi. This is the team that I have been working with ever since I graduated. And as Scott so embarrassingly put it, we are the best."  
  
"What sort of undercover work did you do?" Tonks asked curiously.  
  
"We worked in the clubs as waitresses, performers, and bar tenders. People have a tendency to talk under certain conditions." Alex explained. That was one of the main ways they got their information. There were also anonymous calls and letters.  
  
"Ah the power of a woman." Remus laughed, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"Well with that I do believe we'll end this meeting. We'll meet again in a few days to assign some new missions. Until then, do be careful." Dumbledore explained, ending the meeting. As everyone started leaving the room, Alex could see Lia trying to make her way towards her and not wanting a confrontation about Scott, Alex made a beeline for the door and escaped out into the hallway.  
  
She made it to her door but as she started to open it, it was slammed shut. Turning around she saw Snape right behind her, holding the door shut with his hand.  
  
"Can I help you?" Alex asked, annoyed. Damn, she forgot how tall he was!  
  
"What game is it that you think you're playing?" he sneered.  
  
"Excuse me?" Alex asked bewildered.  
  
"Don't play stupid with me, Alexandra. You know exactly what I am talking about. You lie to us, then you show up out of no where with the man you have detested and who has hurt you in the past. Are you daft, woman?" Snape snarled.  
  
"Why do you even care, professor? You made it very clear that what I did and how I felt was no concern to you." Alex argued. He said nothing in return but moved forward, making her back up against the door. Snape studied her for a moment and she couldn't read the look that was in his eye, then as suddenly as he appeared he was gone down the stairs to the dungeons.  
  
"Stupid bastard." Alex mumbled softly and then headed into her room, not seeing Scott step out of the shadows. He had watched the entire exchange between them and with a strange look he headed back to his rooms on the other side of the castle.  
  
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	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
"What are you doing?" Scott asked, as he approached the table that Alex was sitting at.  
  
"Just going over these files." She sighed, looking up from the large stack. Alex had barricaded herself in the library, armed with old case files from the first reign of Voldemort. Dumbledore had provided her with them, at her request. She was hoping to find some weak spot in Voldemort, one that could bring about his final destruction. Since he could now touch Harry and get into his mind, that idea was out of the question. But Alex knew that Harry was somehow the key in this fight. If only she could figure out how they could bring him down.  
  
"Do you think they could help?" Scott asked, leaning over her shoulder to look at the current file she was reading. It was the file on James and Lily Potter.  
  
"I'm not sure. It could but then again there is a ton of information missing. Like in here, why was Voldemort after the Potters?" Alex sighed, leaning back in her chair. She had been going over these since right after breakfast. In fact, breakfast itself had been trying. Because of the argument the night before, Snape and Alex shot dirty looks at each other throughout the meal, and while she tried to avoid Lia's constant questioning. The only humorous situation was seeing Ayla Black dressed, not in her school uniform, but dressed in an outfit almost identical to the one Alex had been wearing when she first arrived. As Alex headed to go and get the files from Dumbledore, she told Ayla to give Snape hell in class.  
  
"Well isn't it obvious? James Potter was a mudblood lover." Scott said. Alex froze and turned halfway in her seat to face him.  
  
"What did you say?" Maybe she hadn't heard him right.  
  
"Well he married Lily, who was muggle born and the dark lord is against those marriages." He explained. Alex frowned but turned back to the file. She must have heard him wrong.  
  
"Hey you need to loosen up." Scott said and started rubbing her shoulders, in attempt to help her relieve some of the stress. "We only just got here. You can't expect to solve this war in one night. This could take years."  
  
"I don't know if I could survive being here for years." Alex sighed, leaning back allowing him better access to her shoulders.  
  
"Why's that? Everyone seems pretty nice here, except for that Snape fellow."  
  
"Please don't mention that name." She frowned, flashbacks of the conversation from the night before coming into her mind.  
  
"There is something between the two of you, isn't there?" Scott asked.  
  
"No. There is nothing between us except the fact that I worked under him for student teaching. That's all." Alex lied. She didn't really want her team to know the history of her and the potions professor. It was the past. Suddenly, Scott grabbed her roughly as he leaned next to her ear.  
  
"Don't lie to me Alexandra. I saw the two of you last night." He said harshly. In that moment, the Scott from her childhood came back.  
  
"Scott, stop it!" Alex cried out, trying to break from his grasp but he was holding her too tightly. His fingers were digging into arms, as he gave her two quick shakes.  
  
"You love him, don't you? You love that greasy-haired potions professor. You don't belong to him, Alexandra. You belong to me and you always will."  
  
"I belong to no one, Scott. Not you, not anyone. What goes on between me and Snape is my business not yours." Alex argued, trying to not let him intimidate her.  
  
"You are naïve. You know nothing about how any of this works. You'll see, Alexandra." Scott laughed cruelly, his mouth next to her ear as he threatened her.  
  
"I'll see what? That I was stupid for letting you join my team? Trust me, I already know that." Alex scoffed. She hadn't wanted Scott on her team from the beginning but Johnson pulled rank on her and she was left with no choice.  
  
"No. We are destiny you and me. We are meant for each other and nothing will stand in the way of that. Not even your precious professor." Just then the door to the library opened; Snape came in carrying a pile of files. He froze at the sight of Scott hovering over Alex. Scott slowly straightened up and stepped away from Alex at the professor's dark look.  
  
"Dumbledore said to give you these. They might help in finding something useful for whatever it is that you are looking for." Snape said placing the stack down next to the one Alex was currently looking through. He shot her a look when they made eye contact, as if asking if she was all right. He knew that he had interrupted something between the two of them.  
  
"It would probably help if I knew what exactly I was looking for though." Alex said as she picked up the top file off of the new stack.  
  
"I'm going to check on the others. Think about what I said Alexandra. We'll talk about it later." Scott said and exited the library.  
  
"What the hell just happened?" Snape asked sitting across the table from her.  
  
"It's nothing I can't handle, Severus. Don't worry about me." Alex shrugged as she leafed through the pages, refusing to make eye contact with him.  
  
"Damn it woman! Are you deranged? How is it that you can feel like you can trust him, after what he did to you as a child?"  
  
"Who said I trusted him." Alex snapped, her eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"If you don't trust him, how is it that he is working with you?"  
  
"This conversation is over, Snape. I will not talk to you about this. Trust me, I can handle it." Alex stated, turning back to the files in front of her.  
  
"I hope that you are right, Alexandra. But do not expect me to be there to pick up the pieces when you find yourself to be mistaken." Snape said and then stormed out the library.  
  
"No, Severus, I would never expect such a thing." Alex sighed; flinching as the door slammed closed behind him.  
  
..........  
  
"If everyone can take their seats, we can begin." Dumbledore announced, bringing order to the room. Tonight was the official Order of the Phoenix meeting, where the new assignments were to be handed out.  
  
"One of my spies have informed me that Voldemort is putting together an army. For what purpose, we are not yet sure of but we need to find out." Dumbledore explained.  
  
"I have prepared a list of assignments for everyone to carry out. Lupin, you and Sirius will be keeping an eye on the events going on in Diagon alley, Knockturn alley, and Hogsmeade. I want to know every action of what is going on. Who comes and who goes...as accurate as you can be." He directed. Both men nodded in acknowledgment.  
  
"Arthur, Kingsley, Tonks, and Fiona... I want you four to keep an eye on all ministry officials who seem to be switching side, especially McNair."  
  
"Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, you two both know your jobs. And the last is Alex's group. Alex, Tonks is going to be helping you with the mission. She'll explain everything to you later. I am giving you free reign of how you want to get your job accomplished."  
  
"Thank you, Albus." Alex said, grateful to be able to run her mission her own way and not the way of the order.  
  
"What about me?" Lia asked.  
  
"Honey, we've already talked about this. You need to stay within the school walls." Sirius said.  
  
"It's not fair. It's not like I'm an invalid." Lia argued, clearly agitated.  
  
"Between you and Harper, I believe we have two of the most half-witted women on the face of the planet!" Snape mocked, from his corner of the room. Both Alex and Lia glared evilly at him. "But then again, if you want to harm your unborn child, by no means, go ahead. Take a mission that will put you in harm's way. It's one less Black in the world, after all."  
  
"Take that back, Snape! You will not talk to my wife like that." Sirius said reaching for his wand.  
  
"Here we go again." Lupin sighed, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"Like what? A child? That's how she is acting." Snape replied.  
  
"Forget wands! I'll kill you with my bare hands!" Sirius declared and jumped on top of Snape, knocking him to the ground, pummeling him. Before either of them could severely hurt each other, Sirus was flung back to the opposite side of the room. All eyes turned to Dumbledore as he stood there with his wand in his hand.  
  
"I have told the both of you more the once, to overcome this hatred that exists between you two. If I wasn't sure that you would kill each other, I would lock you in the same room until you could get along!" Dumbledore lectured. This was the second meeting in a row that Snape and Sirius had caused a disruption. Just then the door slammed shut, signaling Lia's exit.  
  
"Sirius, I would think it best if you would go after your wife right now. This meeting is over." Dumbledore sighed.  
  
"Well that was certainly interesting." Alex said as Sirius ran out after Lia.  
  
Next chapter: a small interlude between Alex and Snape  
  
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	5. Chapter Five

Chapter 5  
  
"I know you think it's unfair that you can't go on a mission, but Lia, you are going to be having a baby!" Alex said to her friend. The two of them were walking around the school grounds, finally getting the chance to catch up.  
  
"I know that but I feel so useless. I should be helping to contribute to both of my children's future. Not just sitting around the castle doing nothing." Lia complained, her hand protectively covering her belly. She hadn't really started showing yet but it would come sooner then anyone would think.  
  
"But you won't be just sitting around. You will be teaching. These students need a teacher. Soon, they will not be able to ignore what is going on in the real world." Alex frowned. What she said was true, since many of the students still refused to acknowledge that Voldemort had come into power and a war was soon on its way.  
  
"I know but I can't help but still feel left out." Lia sighed. She was used to going on missions and fighting back somehow. Alex studied her for a moment.  
  
"You know what, I'll talk to Dumbledore. I may be able to persuade him into letting you help. No promises though, ok?"  
  
"You're the best! I'll love you forever!" Lia said, throwing her arms around the younger girl.  
  
"Remember, no promises!" Alex laughed. In truth, she had an idea for a mission that did not require leaving Hogwarts grounds. If only she could pull a few strings, she might be able to pull it off.  
  
"All right. No promises. Anyway, I need to get back to my office and grade the rest of the papers to be handed back tomorrow. I swear some of these kids don't understand the marvel of muggle technology!" Lia said, shaking her head.  
  
"I'll see you later this evening then." Alex smiled and continued walking as Lia headed back inside the school. She made her way over to the Quidditch pitch where the Gryffindor's team was practicing for an upcoming match. She wasn't sitting alone long when Snape appeared as if out of nowhere.  
  
"You know, you really need to stop this sneaking habit of yours. It's really irritating." Alex commented, keeping her eyes on the students flying through the air.  
  
"Why are you here?" Snape asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"In England or here at the quidditch field?" she replied, playing dumb.  
  
"You know exactly what I mean, Alexandra. Why are you not teaching some American brats somewhere?" he asked. Snape knew that that was her plan after college and he knew she had been offered some well paying teaching positions in some of the best American Wizarding academies.  
  
"I don't know. I was about to take a job as potions mistress at the American Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Massachusetts, when the ministry contacted me about the job working undercover. I felt like I could make a bigger difference working with the ministry rather then at the school. At least until the war is over." Alex admitted. On some days she regretted not taking the teaching job, but on others she knew she was making some sort of difference. And hopefully this war would be over with soon so she could go back home.  
  
"And here I thought I had succeeded in scaring you away from teaching." Snape said smirking over at her.  
  
"No, in fact I think because of you I wanted to be a teacher more then before. I wanted to prove to students that potions can be fun, instead of excruciatingly dull like how you make it." She retorted, standing up from her seat.  
  
"Potion's is a complex subject which none of these dim-witted children could even begin to comprehend. I'm even surprised that someone like you has even been able to grasp even just the basic concept of what goes into potion-making." Snape retorted, his dark eyes boring down on her.  
  
"You know, sometimes this just gets old." Alex sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was sick of fighting with him. "If you don't mind, I have something to speak to Dumbledore about." She walked away before he could even reply.  
  
It wasn't that Snape hated Alex, quite opposite actually. He enjoyed bickering with her. He loved to get her riled up, which was probably why their prank war had lasted as long as it did the previous year. Was it only a year that he had met her? It seemed so much longer. So much had happened during the time.  
  
Snape made his way back down to the dungeons, wondering why he couldn't just have a normal conversation with her. If he really thought about it, he would realize that he hadn't had a normal conversation with someone in a long time. He either fought with people or was busy playing the part of the spy. Dumbledore was the only one who even made an effort to talk to him, but Snape still kept to himself. Why didn't he just let her in?  
  
He entered his office and immediately realized that he was not alone in the room.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" Snape glared hard at his visitor, not making any attempt to hide his hatred for the man.  
  
"Well that's not nice, now is it? You're a teacher, aren't you supposed to have an open door policy?" Scott smirked up from his seat behind Snape's desk.  
  
"With my students...yes. But I have no need to speak with you so remove yourself from my office before I do." He stated crossing his arms in front of himself.  
  
"Oh but I have something to speak of with you. The dark lord sends a message for you, Severus Snape." Scott grinned, kicking his legs up on the desk. Snape's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I have no idea of what you are talking about."  
  
"You can drop the charade, Sev. I can call you Sev, can't I?" he asked but continued before Snape could reply. "I know you're a death eater. One of the high and mighty ones in fact. The inner circle and all that. Well guess what? So am I. The dark lord was pleased when I told him I had been sent to Hogwarts with Alex's group. I had to work hard to convince the American ministry that I was working against Voldemort. Actually, now that I think about it, it wasn't hard to do at all." Scott laughed to himself.  
  
"Yes well as interesting as this all is, I have work to do. So get to the point." Snape stated, a calm mask settling over his features, although he was dying to hex the man to oblivion.  
  
"Yes well, the dark Lord wanted me to let you know that you have been doing a good job, yadda yadda yadda. And that we are to make some type of effort to work together. He feels that I can be of some help to you here since the old man can be somewhat demanding." Snape nodded slightly.  
  
"And what if I prefer to work alone?"  
  
"He assured me that if you didn't comply, he would find ways to convince you."  
  
"I see." Snape stated. He was going to have to talk to Dumbledore about this. He wondered if Alex suspected Scott of being a death eater and how much information he had already told Voldemort.  
  
"Well is that it then?" Snape asked, hoping that he would leave.  
  
"No actually. You are to stay away from Alex." Scott stated his voice growing firm.  
  
"Is that Voldemort's orders?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"No. They're mine. And I mean it. I don't want to see you near her, Snape. Alexandra is mine."  
  
"And what makes you think that I want anything to do with her?" he asked, slightly amused by the threats.  
  
"I'm not stupid. I've been watching the both of you and I know she is in love with you. Thankfully, she is not acting on anything and seems to be in denial about the entire thing."  
  
"If she is in love with me, then what makes you think she will be yours?" Snape asked. Scott stood up to face him, although he stood a few feet shorter then him.  
  
"Alex just needs some convincing. She's a smart girl. She'll come to her senses. Just stay away from her and we'll get along fine." Scott said and then exited the office, the door slamming shut behind him. Snape couldn't help but shake his head. It was time to go see the headmaster.  
  
Please review!!!!  
  
Next chapter: Alex finds out about Scott and reveals some other information 


	6. Chapter Six

Sorry about the confusion of switching around the story. I thought this would make a better sequel since the story was starting to get long. I am no where near done with the story but I am writing again since my muse decided to reappear! I am not promising fast updates but I promise I am working on the story. Please read and review the newest chapter!!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"And you're certain that Scott has joined forces with Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked, from sitting behind his desk. The following morning, Snape had gone to his office to let him know of the conversation that had transpired the night before.  
  
"I would not doubt him for an instant, Headmaster. Given his past history, I am surprised no one suspected him of it before." Snape explained. That and the man is positively mental! Anyone with two eyes could see that.  
  
"I see. Well that does present quite a predicament." Dumbledore remarked, leaning back in his chair. The situation worried him, but it did prove that Voldemort no longer suspected Snape of disloyalty.  
  
"Well what should we do about it? The United States Ministry of Magic should be notified of the deception. " Snape said, looking forward to outing Scott and getting him far away from Alex.  
  
"Ah Severus, I am afraid that is not in our hands." He replied. Before Snape could reply, there was a knock at the door and Alex stepped into the office.  
  
"You wanted to see me, headmaster?" Alex asked, slightly surprised to see Snape in the office as well. She knew instantly something was wrong by the serious looks on both their faces. Alex was just about to go talk to Lia when she received word that she was needed in the headmaster's office.  
  
"Please Alex, have a seat." Dumbledore said indicating to the vacant chair next to Snape.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down warily. Dumbledore's eyes were void of his usual twinkle and Snape's emotionless mask was fixed firmly in place. Yes there was definitely something wrong.  
  
"It has come to our attention that someone on your team is not what they seem to be." Dumbledore explained calmly. As soon as his words registered, the first person that popped into her mind was Scott. She closed her eyes for a moment to get her emotions in check. How could she be so stupid? Scott had been acting strange lately. He had been getting more aggressive with her and she found him writing in a small journal and when she had snuck a peek, there had been nothing there. The journal must have been a way to communicate with Voldemort, relaying their plans. Thankfully, nothing major had been planned yet that could not be changed. Damn, this should never have happened!  
  
Alex opened her eyes to find both men looking at her with concern in their eyes. Even Snape looked concerned which was a rarity for him.  
  
"Thank you for telling me." Alex said, moving to get up from her seat.  
  
"You don't seem too surprised by this." Dumbledore commented, watching her closely. Alex was more then angry, both at herself and at Scott.  
  
"Should I be surprised? I knew he had been acting strangely. I should have never taken him on my team in the first place." Alex retorted harsher then she had intended.  
  
"Indeed" Snape stated. He agreed that Scott should have never been placed on the team. Obviously the Americans needed to reevaluate their screening process.  
  
"Severus." Dumbledore warned before the professor said something he would later regret. "We all know that it was not Alex's decision to put Scott on her team." Alex glared at Snape.  
  
"What I want to know is what you have to do with any of this." She demanded, turning her anger on the professor.  
  
"It was Severus that discovered that Scott is a death eater." Dumbledore explained, watching the interaction with mild interest.  
  
"The imbecile decided to flaunt it in my face that he was working for the Dark Lord last night when I returned to my office." Snape retorted, clearly annoyed.  
  
"So he thought that since the both of you were working for the same guy, you could be all buddy buddy." She replied, rolling her eyes. She caught look of Snape's shocked face and Dumbledore's amused one and couldn't help but let out a proud smirk.  
  
"You thought I didn't know? I have known that you were a double agent working for Dumbledore since before I left last year." She declared. She knew that Snape was a death eater before she told him that she was in love with him. Of course that didn't matter now.  
  
"Who was it that told you?" Snape demanded standing from his chair angrily. He would throttle the person that had ratted him out! Only very few in the Order knew what exactly it was that he did. If word had leaked out and gotten back to the Dark Lord, he would be a dead man.  
  
"No one told me. It wasn't hard to figure out actually. Before you would disappear you would grab your forearm. From what I have heard, that's where the dark mark is. And I knew that Dumbledore would never let a death eater work at the school, so I just assumed that you were working as a spy." Alex explained. She had been around him enough while doing her student teaching to pick up on some subtle information that led her to her conclusion. Surprisingly, she wasn't disturbed by the revelation, as one would expect her to be. It just added more mystery to the man.  
  
"I see." Snape stated, pacing near the fireplace. "And have you told anyone of your deduction?"  
  
"Of course not. I have spoken with no one about it." She replied honestly. Alex hadn't even told Lia about it.  
  
"Make sure it stays that way!" Snape threatened, but oddly he knew that he could trust her. She would not tell a soul and on the inside he took comfort in that.  
  
"No problem. Now it was nice chatting with you boys but I have things to do and people to see." Alex declared and made way to the door.  
  
"What about Scott?" Snape demanded but the only answer he received was a door slamming closed. He whirled on the headmaster. "What if she does nothing?"  
  
"Then that is her decision, Severus. This is no longer in our hands." Dumbledore explained solemnly.  
  
Alex collapsed against the wall outside of the office in tears. How could she be so stupid to trust Scott? Just when she thought that maybe he had changed, she was informed of his treachery. Snape must think her to be such an idiot. Even he suspected Scott the minute he found out who he was. And now Alex had no clue what to do about the situation. If she called Scott out on it, there could be harsh repercussions. There had to be a way to get him to reveal himself.  
  
Shaking her mind clear of these thoughts, Alex straightened up and wiped the tears off her face. She would deal with this later. Right now she needed to speak with Lia. Last night, Alex had gotten the approval to let Lia in on a program that Alex had set up not long ago. It was discovered that death eaters were using muggle technology to communicate internationally. That was how the groups in the States were growing so rapidly. They were using encrypted internet sources to converse back and forth. Alex and her crew had set up several computers in the east tower, where muggle technology would be able to work, thanks to Dumbledore.  
  
Lia was familiar with computers and the internet and Alex had gotten the approval of Dumbledore to let Lia in on the project. It would keep her busy and let her participate in the Order without going out into the field. Alex just hoped that Lia liked the idea.  
  
Next chapter sneak preview: Alex and Tonks are working undercover at a nightclub and Severus comes in with Lucius Malfoy! Should make for some interesting situations!!! ;) 


	7. Chapter Seven

**Here's another update! I am working on them as hard as I can....I usually only have time to write on the weekends but I am pretty proud of this chapter and how my story is coming out. And it is still no where near yet done. Just to let you know, the war won't end until the trio is in their 7th yr and the story is now just getting into December of the 6th year. So there's a lot more fun to come!!!! Please keep reviewing since it keeps me writing!!!!!**  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"A gin and tonic and a fire whiskey for table six." Alex said, taking a seat at the bar. She and Tonks were working undercover at a small nightclub in Knockturn Alley. Tonks was a bartender, disguised with one of her many looks. Alex had also used a glamour to alter her appearance, but nothing drastic.  
  
"Rough night?" Tonks grinned, while starting to prepare the order.  
  
"It's not too busy but I swear if someone grabs my butt one more time, he's going to find himself missing a hand." Alex threatened.  
  
"Yeah well at least you don't have people telling their pathetic life stories to you all night. I swear men just don't get it. If you cheat on your wife, she's gonna leave you!" Tonks stated, rolling her eyes. "They're pathetic."  
  
"Yeah well most men are." Alex replied, grinning lightly.  
  
"Speaking of men." Tonks grinned, looking past Alex. "Look who just sat down in your section." Casually Alex turned and saw Lucius Malfoy sitting down at an empty table a few feet away from the bar.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy." Alex stated, turning back towards the auror. "Too bad he's evil because that man is gorgeous." Lucius was one of the regulars to the nightclub and Alex was one of his favorite cocktail waitresses. So far, she had not been able to get any information out of him.  
  
"Yeah but did you see who is with him?" Tonks grinned. Even she had to admit Malfoy was a looker. Alex glanced over her shoulder again and spotted Severus Snape sitting at the same table.  
  
"Oh shit!" she gasped. "Well this should make for an interesting night." Alex sighed and took the drinks from Tonks, placing them on her tray.  
  
"You never know, he may not recognize you." Tonks shrugged. She didn't know much about their past, but she knew that something had happened between the two of them. She was also pretty sure that they still had feelings for each other.  
  
"I doubt it. The man rarely misses a thing." Alex said and left the bar to deliver the drinks to the waiting table. After making sure she had gotten their order right, she headed over to the table where Malfoy and Snape sat talking.  
  
"Lucius! Long time no see." Alex smiled, allowing herself to be pulled on his lap. The look on Snape's face was priceless as she leaned over and gave Lucius a quick kiss.  
  
"Lexi, my darling! I must apologize for not being here. It seems that my time has been required elsewhere lately." Lucius replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. Alex internally winced at the name but it was what she was known as at the club. There was no way she was going to give out her real name.  
  
"And here I was thinking you had replaced me." Alex pouted, playing with a strand of his blonde hair.  
  
"I am no where near done with you yet." He promised, grinning maliciously at her. He then turned his attention back to Snape, who was currently glowering at the both of them. "Lexi I wish for you to meet an old friend of mine, Severus Snape. Severus was kind enough to join me for a drink tonight, weren't you Severus?"  
  
"Indeed." Snape replied coolly. Alex couldn't help but grin and lean across the table.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sev." She said softly, brushing her lips across his cheek. You gotta love acting. Otherwise, Alex would never have had the guts to be so forward with him.  
  
"So what can I get you gentlemen to drink?" she asked, straightening back up.  
  
"Fire whiskey, as usual." Lucius said. She nodded and looked back over at Snape.  
  
"And you?"  
  
"The same." He replied shortly, giving her a dark look. Alex just smiled sweetly and stood up from Lucius' lap.  
  
"It'll be right up." She said and headed back to the bar where Tonks was watching with avid interest.  
  
"Now Severus, that is one fine woman." Lucius remarked, his eyes glues to Alex's backside.  
  
"If looks could kill you would be dead." Tonks grinned, as Alex set down the order.  
  
"Yeah well it would be worth it." She grinned, leaning against the countertop. "You're closing tonight right?"  
  
"Yeah we both are. But at least you get to sleep in tomorrow." Tonks replied, placing the drinks on the tray.  
  
"You would like to think that, wouldn't you?" Alex remarked. Whenever she tried to sleep in, someone always came knocking on her door needing her for something. It was usually one of her teammates or Lia. Sighing, Alex picked up the tray and started back towards the table. It was going to be a long night. "Is she one of your new conquests, Lucius?" Snape asked, leaning back in his chair. He didn't like the club but Malfoy had not taken no as an answer when he demanded Severus join him for a drink. The club was too loud with the music and drunken witches and wizards mingling around.  
  
"Let's just say she's made it to the list." Lucius remarked, smirking lightly. Snape knew then that he hadn't slept with her but Malfoy had the intention to. The thought of Alex lowering herself to that standard disgusted Snape, as well as made him jealous. He really didn't have anything to be jealous of. He could have had her a year ago, he could have allowed himself to be truthful and admit he had fallen in love with her as well. But it was too late for that now. And with the war coming closer, it would be too dangerous. Especially if he got found out that he was a spy.  
  
"Here you go gentlemen." Alex said, placing the drinks down in front of them. "Will there be anything else for now?"  
  
"When will you allow me to take you out to dinner Lexi?" Lucius asked. He asked her this question every time he came into the club.  
  
"You know I don't date customers, Lucius." Alex laughed lightly. She was half tempted to say yes just for Snape's benefit. Lucius ran a finger along her arm.  
  
"We could always skip dinner." He said winking at her suggestively.  
  
"That's an enticing offer." Alex replied. She paused for a second, meeting Snape's glare. "I shall definitely consider it, Lucius." Alex then headed over to another table where a couple of witches had just sat down.  
  
It was late by the time Alex finally got back to Hogwarts. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to crawl into bed. The portrait swung open and she stumbled into the dark room. It had definitely been a long night, what with Snape and Malfoy coming in. Snape had barely even talked to her but his dark looks were enough to set her on edge. It was probably best that he didn't talk to her, in case she slipped up and was revealed as a spy.  
  
Other then him coming in, the night was pretty uneventful. No one seemed to be talking, even when completely sloshed. Alex and Tonks had closed the club and then parted ways at Diagon Alley. Alex wondered how Tonks was able to work so late and get up early the next morning for work at the Ministry.  
  
Alex lit the fireplace, casting a soft glow over the room. It was then that she knew she was no alone in the room. Reaching for her wand, she scanned the shadows.  
  
"I know you're there." She said as all weariness disappearing as her nerves tensed up. "Show yourself." There was a movement from the far corner of the room and Snape stepped forward into the light.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Alexandra?" he demanded, scowling down at her.  
  
"What the hell am I doing?! What the hell are you doing in my room? In the dark!" she yelled, bewildered. She really needed to change her password and set up some stronger wards. He got in way too easily.  
  
"Do you enjoy throwing yourself at half-drunk men like some common whore?" he said, sneering down at her. If he really thought about it, the only thing bringing this on was a large case of jealousy. Seeing Alex flirt with Malfoy had set him off and knowing that Alex did this for the Order made it even worse.  
  
"It's my job! You know nothing of what I do!" Alex argued. He had no right to make this sort of accusations against her. She was doing what she needed to do and what she had been doing since she took the position almost a year ago. "This is the job I was assigned and I am doing my best to get any information that I can to save people's lives and bring Voldemort down!"  
  
"Yes, I can see it now. The Downfall of Voldemort successful by sleeping in the beds of death eaters! You'll get an Order of Merlin for sure!" Snape mocked. Alex's eyes widened and before he realized it, she slapped him hard across the face.  
  
She lifted her hand to slap him again but he caught her wrist before she could make contact with his cheek. Snape pulled her close, holding her arm behind her back and kissed her harshly. With all the force she could muster, Alex pushed him away.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demanded, outraged. Yes she had wanted him to kiss her since the day she came back but this was not how it was supposed to happen.  
  
"Isn't this what you get paid for?" he remarked and stormed out the door before he did something he would later regret. He had just made it out the door when a vase came smashing against it. Alex crumbled to the ground in tears.  
  
**Chapter 8 preview: Alex is in a bad mood and Scott is up to his old tricks again!!!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**OK so it's a little shorter then I wanted but I'll make it up with the next one. But I am updating which is a good sign!!! ;) Thanks for all the great reviews. It makes me happy to see that people are still reading my story!!! Please let me know what you think of this chapter.  
**  
Chapter Eight  
  
It was still early in the afternoon and Alex was sitting comfortably on the floor in front of the fire. She had different books, maps, and other parchments set out in from of her. To say the least, Alex was in a bad mood. She had gotten hardly any sleep after Snape had left the night before. What he had said hurt her more then he probably realized. The truth was that she had never had to stoop so low as to sleep with someone to get information. Alex had always found ways around it, usually with slipping something in their drink to knock them unconscious.  
  
She was trying not to think of him and instead was determined to put all her focus and energy into getting rid of Scott. It was too dangerous having him around. Who knows what information he had already supplied Voldemort with? It was sheer luck that it was Alex who was privy to the most top secret information. She hadn't trusted Scott with some of the things she was told by Dumbledore and other members of the Order. In fact, Scott didn't even know about her undercover job at the club in Knockturn Alley. If he had, she would be in immense danger.  
  
Alex scanned through the information in front of her. What she was planning on doing was staging an Order meeting in Hogsmeade. She was hoping that with that information, Scott would relay it to Voldemort and they would attack the Order, thinking they were catching them off guard. Of course it would actually be a trap for them. Alex just hoped that it would work out according to plan.  
  
"Alexandra, I have the reports from Nate, Kimi, and Lia. I also have some information from Paige and Carlos." Scott said coming in through the door. Nate, Kimi, and Lia were working on hacking through computer databases, trying to decode information that may be pertaining to Death Eaters and Voldemort. Paige and Carlos were both stationed in Diagon and Knockturn Alley in efforts to keep an eye on things there. Scott and Anitrey pretty much went back and forth, passing along information and making themselves useful wherever they were needed.  
  
Alex sighed and looked up from the parchment she had been writing on. She had thought she made it clear that she didn't want to be bothered today. She hadn't left the room since she came home, even taking her breakfast in her bedroom. Alex really needed to change her password.  
  
"Thanks." She said, taking the papers from Scott and casting them aside, not wanting to look at them yet.  
  
"Are you alright? You seem upset." He asked, crouching down next to her. Upset was an underestimate of how she was feeling.  
  
"I'm fine." Alex answered shortly, hoping he would get the hint and leave. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"  
  
"What are you working on?" He asked, ignoring her attempts to get him to leave. Scott was looking at the papers spread out in front of Alex.  
  
"I am working on securing an area for the next Order meeting." Alex lied. No time like the present to set a trap, right?  
  
"Why aren't we having it here at the school like usual?" he asked, curiously. Of course he was filing away the information to report back to Voldemort.  
  
"Albus is expecting everyone involved in the Order to come to the next meeting. We all won't fit in his office so we're renting a room at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. I am in charge of the security procedures." She explained rather convincingly.  
  
"They put you in charge?" Scott mocked.  
  
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Alex demanded, slightly off put by his sudden mood swing. Although it shouldn't have surprised her. He is a death eater.  
  
"All you missions are failures. Dumbledore must be insane to put you in charge." He spat out cruelly, straightening up and Alex stood from her seat on the ground.  
  
"Are you a moron? All of my missions have been successful. That's why we're considered the best." Alex argued, even though his words did hit her. Was she not as good at her job as she thought?  
  
"If it hadn't been for me, you would have failed each and every one of them. You would be nothing without me, Alexandra!" Alex clenched her hands into fists, willing herself to not punch him straight in the face like she wanted to do. "You are nothing!"  
  
Alex couldn't hold back anymore.  
  
"That's it you're done! You're going back to the States!" she declared, anger flashing in her eyes. "If I have anything to do with it, you'll never work in the ministry again!" She drew her wand but Scott was ready for her.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled and her wand flew out of her hand before she even had pulled it all the way out of her sleeve. The spell sent her flying back into the wall, knocking her unconscious. Scott stood over her and cast a strong binding charm for when she woke up. It was just too easy! He pulled a small pocket watch from his pocket and grabbed Alex. Soon they both disappeared just before Snape came running into the room.  
  
Snape had been grading papers in his office when he was alerted that Alex was in danger. The necklace he had given her for Christmas the year before had a strong protection spell on it. It alerted him to when she was in trouble, as long as he was in close enough vicinity. Unfortunately, he was too late.  
  
**Note: I do not know if you can use a port key in Hogwarts but in my story you can. So no flames about that!!! ;)  
  
Next chapter: Emergency order meeting, Voldemort, and a battle (not the final battle though...don't worry)**


	9. Chapter Nine

**I wanna thank my sister Laura, my best friend Steph, and my wonderful beta reader Iorhael-nin**

**Here's the next chapter.... Sorry for the wait but I had a hard time getting this chapter down. I hope you all like it!!!! Please review and let me know!!!**

Chapter Nine

The first thing Alex did was panic when she came to. How had she let herself be captured so easily?! She was the top agent in her department and Scott was able to stun and bind her before she could even get her wand out! OK so shit happens. There had to be some way to get out before the situation got worse. First thing to do was to try and figure out where the hell she was! It was impossible. All she could come up with was that she was in some room that was pitch black. The house she was in had to be old, or just not used in a long time, because of the musty odor. Well, she didn't think it was Scott's house because he had a condo back in the States, and she couldn't have been unconscious long enough to get back there. Ok so she was in an old house somewhere most likely in England. Logically, she was probably where the Death Eaters were meeting that night. OK so a house full of Death Eaters and Voldemort...with no wand...she could handle that, right?

It was then that the door flew open and Scott came into the room.

"Wakey wakey, Alexandra!" he smirked as Alex turned her head to block the bright light from the hallway.

"Oh look...it's my bloody knight in shining armor." She remarked struggling to sit up with her hands tied behind her back. Scott chuckled at the sight of her and crouched down face to face with her.

"Did you sleep well, my love?" he asked as he went to brush a stand of hair out of her face. Alex jerked back out of his reach, causing him to frown. "You don't have to be afraid Alexandra. I would never hurt you."

"Hurt me?! Scott you attacked me, kidnapped me, and locked me up in some room in the middle of who knows where!" Alex yelled looking at him in disbelief. She hadn't realized how crazy Scott had actually become.

"But I did this for us! Now we can finally be together. He promised me that we could be together." He explained, looking at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Who promised?"

"The Dark Lord. He said that as long as you gave him the right information that we can be together forever!" Scott said, standing up from the crouched position. Scott had made a deal with Voldemort that is Alex provided him with information about the Order; Scott could have her to do with as he pleased.

"Oh just add the house with the white picket fence and we can have the future every girl dreams of huh?" Alex spat out, rolling her eyes.

"I don't understand. These are our dreams. The Dark Lord can give us the life we always wanted. We could be together and happy!" He declared, pulling her up from the ground by her arms.

"Together? There is no us! I could never be happy with someone you repulses me so much that I get sick just by looking at you, you filthy traitor!" Alex said and spat right in his face. Before she could even react, Scott slapped her across the face, sending her flying back down on the ground.

"So you have no idea where Scott could have taken her?" Tonks asked. Dumbledore had just finished explaining the situation to the Inner Circle members of the Order of the Phoenix. They had assembled quickly as soon as Snape had reached the Headmaster and told him of what had happened.

"Do you think I would be here if I knew where she was?" Snape retorted, ceasing his pacing for a moment. In his opinion, this meeting was taking to long. For all he knew, by now Alex was already dead either by the hands of Scott or Voldemort.

"Severus you need to calm down. Alex will be okay. She was trained for this situation so she can take care of herself. We will get her out of there." Lia said reassuringly. No one had ever seen Snape this tense and on edge before.

"So what's the plan then?" Remus asked. They had to be somewhat prepared before taking on an entire group of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself.

"We know that there will be a death eater meeting tonight because Harry was able to get a glimpse of Tom's plans. As soon as Severus is summoned, he will apparate to the meeting taking this tracking device with him." Dumbledore explained, handing Snape a small phoenix charm. "This will enable us to apparate to wherever Severus is, where then we will be able to hopefully get Alex out alive."

"Easier said then done." Mad Eye Moody grumbled out.

"Lia, Minerva, and I will be waiting her for your return." Dumbledore continued, ignoring the comment from Moody.

"It doesn't seem like we will be waiting long after all." Snape ground out, clutching his forearm, which just began to throb in pain.

"Go now Severus. We won't be long after you." Sirius said and Snape took off for the Forbidden Forest in order to apparate, the charm tucked safely in his pocket. As soon as he was gone, all eyes turned to Sirius.

"What? You think I can't be nice once in a while?" he grinned.

"That was dignified." Alex mumbled to herself as she was thrown to the ground in the room Scott just brought her in. Scott had untied her hands before bringing her into the room. At least this one had light.

"I would like to thank you, Miss. Harper, for gracing us with your presence." A high cold voice said. Alex lifted her head to meet the red-eyed stare of Lord Voldemort. He was seated on some sort of throne with a large snake curled around his feet.

"Are we having a party? Lemme guess, I'm the guest of honor." Alex retorted, eyeing the large group of death eaters on the other side of her. This definitely was not good! She slowly climbed to her feet, taking time to study Voldemort carefully. After all, it wasn't everyday you got to meet the enemy.

"How about we get down to business, Miss Harper." Voldemort chuckled. "Scott said that you would be most cooperative with providing information concerning the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter."

"Well Scott also thinks that we're destined to be but he's absolutely mental." She remarked casually.

"Lexi?" a voice chimed in from the crowd of death eaters. Alex turned to see Lucius Malfoy lift his mask to take a closer look at her.

"This night keeps getting better and better." She mumbled sarcastically.

"Lucius, do you know this woman?" Voldemort question, gesturing for him to come closer. Malfoy obeyed and knelt at his feet, averting his eyes as a sign of respect.

"You may rise, Lucius." Voldemort replied. Malfoy stood and turned to look at Alex, who couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Do you know Miss. Harper personally?"

"She's a waitress at a club in Knockturn Alley. We have met on several occasions." Malfoy explained.

"And yet you did not realize she was working as a spy for Dumbledore?" the Dark Lord questioned. He froze and turned to look at his master.

"She was very convincing, my Lord. I thought she was nothing more then a common whore."

"Oh Lucius, is that all our relationship meant to you?" Alex simpered, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Quiet!" Voldemort commanded. "Lucius you have been disappointing me greatly of late. But we will discuss this at a later time."

"Yes, my Lord." Malfoy stammered and resumed his place back with the other death eaters.

"I take it you are not going to be very cooperative, Miss Harper." Voldemort stated, turning his attention back on her.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" She replied mockingly.

"My patience is wearing thin." He affirmed. "It will be less painful for you to cooperate." Alex stared at Voldemort straight in the eye.

"Go to hell." She stated. Alex tried to prepare herself but the pain from the Cruciatus Curse was too much for even her to handle. She collapsed to the ground screaming in pain.

Snape pushed to the front of the group, his eyes trained on the convulsing figure of Alex. He knew too well the pain of the Cruciatus, but he had grown used to it over the years when she had never been subjected to it before. The tears were streaming down her face and her voice was growing hoarse from screaming; all he wanted to do was run to her and take the pain away.

"Have you had enough, Miss Harper? Or do you still need more convincing?" Voldemort asked again, stopping the curse. Alex slowly lifted her head and wiped a drop of blood from her mouth, where she had bit into her lip. Voldemort sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"Miss Harper I can go at this all night. _Crucio!_" He cast once again. Alex tried hard not to scream but it hurt worse then anyone could ever imagine! Snape watched her and unable to see her in pain any longer he softly cast "_finite incantatem_" ending the Cruciatus. Voldemort stood up quickly from his seat, once he realized that someone had ended the curse.

"Who did this?! Who dare defy me?" he bellowed. Almost all of the death eaters cowered back, but there was one who stepped forward. Snape pulled his mask off and tossed it on the ground.

"Severus...one of my most trusted...why have you betrayed me?" the Dark Lord asked, slightly surprised at the treachery.

"Voldemort, I was never with you in the first place." Snape declared. Just then there was a loud pop and the members of the Order appeared, surrounding the death eaters. Quickly, everyone had their wands out, ready to fight.

"Kill them all!" Voldemort commanded and apparated out of the building.

"Coward!" Snape sneered as chaos broke out in the room. He quickly turned to go find Alex, who was lying unconscious on the floor, but before he could get to her Scott appeared with his wand drawn.

"I have waited for this too long, traitor." Scott stated, walking forward. "Once I kill you, Alex will truly be mine!" Snape couldn't help but smirk at his idiocy.

"She never loved you." Snape said calmly, taking his wand from where it was hidden in his pocket.

"You would like to think that, wouldn't you Snape?!" Scott yelled and quickly cast the Blasting Curse, but Snape easily deflected it. They went back and forth casting various attacks. It almost seemed that neither of them would win since they were evenly matched. It was finally Scott that disarmed Snape, sending his wand flying across the room.

"You would like to believe that she loves you, Severus. But who could ever love someone as pitiful and loathsome as you! She will never be yours!" he continued and readied his wand to cast the Killing Curse.

"That's what you think!" a voice said. As Scott turned around, "_avada kedavra_" was cast. Scott fell to the ground dead. Snape looked up to see Alex standing there with his wand at her side. It had taken the last bit of strength from her in order to cast the curse and she collapsed back onto the floor.

**So what did you think? Finally got Scott out of the way but now Snape is revealed as a spy!!!! Definitely a major turn in the story!!! Hehe Please review and let me know what you think. Feel free to give me some ideas for the next chapter too!!!!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Wow! Sorry for the long delay. Gotta hate schoolwork. I have had an insanely busy semester but thankfully it is coming to a close. Maybe next semester won't be as bad!!! Because I love where my story is going so far. Hopefully you guys will like it too!!! PLEASE review and let me know. It really helps to keep writing and it lets me know that there are people reading my story still.**

Chapter Ten

It was more then twelve hours since Alex has passed out. Snape has whisked her back to Hogwarts, before the Order was even done fighting. She was immediately set up in the hospital wing, where Poppy did all she could to stabilize her. It seemed that the reason Alex wouldn't wake up was because her body was repairing itself from the damage. Everyone just hoped that with Poppy speeding up the process, Alex wouldn't be out much longer.

Snape was finally forced to leave Alex's bedside that afternoon, to go get something to eat and some rest for himself. Lia took his spot at her bedside but it wasn't long before Alex came to.

"It's about time you woke up." Lia grinned, happy to see her friend awake. Alex frowned, slightly disorientated from sleep and from being in pain.

"How long was I out?" she asked, her eyes settling on Lia, who was sitting next to her bed.

"Almost sixteen hours." Lia said, glancing down at her watch. Alex struggled to sit up but gasped as pain shot through her side.

"Careful" Lia warned and helped Alex prop herself up with her back leaning against a pile of pillows.

"Thank you." Alex sighed, leaning back. "What happened last night?" Lia frowned. Poppy had explained that Alex might not remember much of what happened because of the shock of the situation.

"Well how much do you remember?" Lia asked. Alex frowned and took a moment to try and filter through her thoughts.

"I remember being in a house and then Scott took me to Voldemort. He tried to get me to tell what I knew about the Order but I refused. I don't remember much after that except that Scott was about to kill Severus. Is he okay?" Alex asked, worriedly. She remembered waking up to see Scott pointing his wand at Snape, but everything else was a blur.

"Severus is fine, Alex. More worried about you then anything else. It was hard enough trying to get him away from your side." Lia assured her.

Alex nodded, relieved that he was ok. "But what about Scott? Did he get away?" Lia looked at her, not really knowing how to tell her what happened.

"Alex, Scott is dead." She said. "You killed him in order to save Severus." Alex leaned back into her pillows, now remembering what had happened.

"He was going to kill him but I saw Severus' wand laying close by. Scott wasn't paying attention to me as I made my way over. I couldn't let Scott kill him." Alex explained.

"You don't have to explain that to me, Alex. You did good." Lia said, wrapping her arms around her friend. Although Alex has been working undercover and had gone against many death eaters, she never once had to kill one of them. She usually just stunned them and brought them to trial. Then again, no one had ever messed with someone she loved.

"So Severus is okay then?" Alex asked again, to reassure herself.

"For the most part, yes. He ended up revealing himself as a spy though." Lia reminded her. This was a loss to the Order, since now they had no one on the inside to reveal Voldemort's plans.

"Is he an idiot?" Alex exclaimed, sitting up straighter.

"He did it for you. According to him, if you had followed his plan you would have never been through this."

"What plan?" Alex asked confused on what she was talking about.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this but the reason that Severus never said anything when you told him that you loved him, was so that you would leave. He wanted to make sure you would be safe back in the United States, working as a teacher. He refused to let himself love you in order to protect you against Voldemort. I guess it didn't work out too well." Lia explained.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of." Alex declared, not wanting to believe what she was being told. Snape actually loved her but he purposely denied it?!

"He did it to protect you. You know the necklace he gave you?" Lia said gesturing to the jewelry that hung around her neck. Alex nodded, fingering the charm that hung on the chain. "Well, that's actually a protection charm. If you are close enough in vicinity, it summons him when you are in danger. Severus ran into the room just as Scott apparated with you."

"I don't understand why he would do this?" Alex stated, severely confused. She had just become accustomed to the thought that Snape wasn't in love with her. Now was she supposed to believe that he was?

"I don't know either. But he does care about you even though it may not seem like he does." Lia assured her. It was then that both women glanced towards the hospital wing entrance and saw Snape standing there, glaring at them.

"Severus! I thought you were getting some rest." Lia exclaimed, startled to see him. She had a feeling that he had been there for awhile.

"I was told that Alexandra had awakened but it seems that I should have waited so you two could have your gossip session." He said moving forward. He did, in fact, hear a good part of the conversation. Enough to know that it had been about him and his feelings for Alex. Lia really did need to learn how to keep her nose out of his business.

"I see. Well, I need to get going. Sirius is attempting at putting together a crib without the use of magic. He has probably torn the room apart by now." Lia said causally, rising from the chair. As she passed by Snape, she paused, "just tell her the truth." Snape frowned at her but moved to stand next to the bed as the door closed behind her.

"I thought this might help." Snape said, handing Alex a small vial of pepper-up potion. She smiled thankfully and quickly drank it, surprised at its unusually pleasant taste.

"I added in some flavoring to hide the bitterness. Consider yourself privileged." he smirked. He purposely left out the flavoring for the students. Especially for the ones who used the potion for getting over a night of partying.

"Thank you." Alex said, placing the empty bottle on the bedside table. She could already feel it starting to take effect, lifting her spirits a bit.

"How are you feeling?" Snape asked, taking a seat at the chair that Lia had vacated.

"Like I have been hit with the Cruciatus a couple of times." She retorted, grinning slightly. He gave her a hard look. "I am fine, Severus. A little sore but nothing life threatening."

"Good." He stated, relieved to know that she was healing well. Snape had been worried about her but he would die before he admitted that aloud to anyone.

"Why did you do it?" Alex asked, clearly talking about him giving up his identity as a spy. "I am not worth that big of a sacrifice. Not when there is so much more at stake."

"Don't be absurd. I only regret not stepping forward sooner."

"Severus..." Alex said but he quickly cut her off.

"No. You listen to me, Alexandra. You are too good to die at the hands of Riddle. You have so much more to live for then for your life to be sacrificed in this war."

"And like you don't?" Alex cried out. "You have made the ultimate sacrifice for us all. You have risked your life everyday by pretending to be a follower of Voldemort."

"Do not try and make a saint out of me. I have done more terrible things then you could ever imagine."

"That person is not you! You are different then everyone that was at that meeting last night, Severus." She told him.

"Oh and how is that?"

"You care about people."

"Sorry to disappoint you but the only person I care about is myself." Snape declared.

"Are you saying that you were willing to die for me, but you don't give a damn about me?" Alex demanded to know. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"What do you wish me to say? That I madly and deeply in love with you?" he questioned.

"If that is the truth, then yes!"

"Then the truth is, is that I am in love with you and have been since you turned by bloody classroom pink!" Severus blurted out, not realizing at first what he was saying. Both of them just froze, astonished at the revelation.

"Severus..." but all she received was a door slamming closed as he quickly exited the room. Snape had just admitted to her that he was in love with her. And what does he do? He flees the room. Snape paused farther down the hallway. He could go back and explain everything. Tell her everything about how he felt. But no, they both needed time. Admitting this one thing was enough for one day and he headed back down to the dungeons to mull over the day's events and revelations. But what Snape didn't know was that back in the hospital wing, Alex was sobbing...but not out of sadness but happiness and relief.

**Next chapter: An order meeting and Alex confronts her boss about the entire incident...he is NOT going to be happy!!!**

**Wow! Some big revelations, huh? It's about time!!! Hehe. Anyway please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I made some changes to the chapter after rereading it and brainstorming some future ideas for the story. Sorry it has been so long since I updated but don't worry…I am finally working on the story again!1 The muse has returned:)**

Chapter 11

"Miss Harper!" a voice called out to Alex, interrupting her walk around the grounds. She had been released from the hospital wing a few days ago but still had not see hide nor hair of Severus Snape. She obviously knew where he was, locked away in the dungeon, but she wasn't about to go and seek him out. What Snape had revealed to her a few nights ago had been a shock to them both. Honestly, Alex was grateful for the time alone to sort out her own feelings.

Lia's daughter, Ayla, ran up to Alex followed by Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley.

"How are you feeling, Miss. Harper?" Hermione asked once they reached her side.

"Much better, thank you." Alex smiled.

"Is it true what everyone is saying?" Ayla blurted out. She was very much like her mother; when she wanted to know something, she asked. Neither Ayla, nor Lia, bothered with small talk.

"And what's that?" Alex grinned, highly amused at the curiosity the girls had.

"Did Professor Snape really save you?" Ginny asked, shivering lightly in the cold air. It was the middle of November and it looked like it was going to start snowing any day now.

"Now where did you hear that?" Alex laughed, not very surprised that the entire school had already found out what happened. Nothing really stayed secret at Hogwarts.

"I heard my mom and dad talking about what happened." Ayla admitted. It was her that had started to spread the rumor, though not on purpose. Ayla just couldn't help but talk about it with a few Gryffindors, and then word had spread like wild fire.

"I see." Alex stated, putting a stern look on her face. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on your elders. Or at least listen long enough to hear the entire conversation. Then you would have heard that it was I who saved Professor Snape's life in turn for him saving mine." The girl's looked wide-eyed at the former student teacher.

"Don't look so surprised." she laughed. "Now go along. I believe you all have a rather long Potions essay to write for tomorrow's class." Ginny and Ayla both made a face at the thought of doing homework, but it didn't bother Hermione since she had the essay already written for several days now.

"I do not believe that providing that information will make the rumors cease." Snape stated, approaching from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Well I couldn't let them go and make a hero out of you, now could I?" Alex smirked, turning towards him. "How could you possibly instill fear into their hearts, if they, heaven forbid it, actually had respect for you?"

"Yes, heaven forbid that." Snape mocked, rolling his eyes at her.

"Collecting ingredients for class?" she asked, indicating to the black pouch attached to his belt along with the dragon hide gloves.

"If you must know, these are for my private stores. It seems that some students find it amusing to sneak and pilfer my ingredients for their own use." Snape answered. He had spent the entire morning out in the Forbidden Forest collecting what ingredients he needed. Others he would have to order in from the apothecary in Hogsmeade.

"At least they are showing interest in potions." she grinned. Snape just shook his head at her.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Oh not you too!" Alex sighed. "I refuse to be cooped up in that bed any longer. Besides, I feel fine!" Poppy had released her from the hospital wing a few hours ago, but many people had it in their minds that she still needed rest.

"Indeed." He replied, and they started to make their way towards the school. It was getting late in the day and dinner would be served soon. They walked together silently, both unsure of what to say as both minds turned to the conversation only a few nights before.

"Severus, may I ask you something?" Alex finally asked, glancing up at him. They both stopped walking, standing in the middle of the lawn, halfway up to the castle.

"If this is about the other day…" he started, turning and facing her.

"It is." Alex interrupted. "I want to know if you were telling the truth." Even though she had heard say that he was in love with her, she still couldn't believe it. Snape studied her for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't know what to tell her. Over the past few days he had hidden himself away from her sight. For hours Snape had mulled over what he had told Alex. Finally, he accepted what he said as truth, but had no idea what to do about it. Snape had never been one for courtship, preferring books and studying over relationships during his time at Hogwarts. The only true experience he had with the opposite sex was during his time as a Death Eater, and that he wasn't very proud of. The idea of him falling in love was almost beyond comprehension.

"Yes, what I said was true." Snape finally spoke a loud, but his face was a mask, refusing to show any emotion.

"Oh." Alex said softly, half expecting him to lie and deny ever saying anything. After a few minutes of awkward silence, she shook her head. "We are two grown adults. Something like this should not be this awkward!"

"I don't know what you want me to do." Snape stated plainly. He didn't know what she expected from him and was unsure of what to do concerning their relationship.

"I don't know either, Severus." Alex sighed and turned and walked away, heading into the castle. Snape stood watching her, inwardly yelling at himself to go after her. Of course, he didn't listen and made his way to the dungeons to put the ingredients in his private stores.

* * *

"Now for new business, I believe that we need to address the situation concerning Alex and Severus." Dumbledore stated, bring full attention to himself. The meeting for the Order of the Phoenix had been going for almost a full hour, with all the different reports that had been coming in from all the members.

"Severus will not be able to continue his mission any longer. With the events that happened last week, it has been decided that it would be too dangerous to keep him in that situation." Dumbledore continued. "Alex will also no longer be able to continue with her undercover work. Her new role will be heading up the computer research and keeping in contact with the other aurors back in America."

"We actually have been making progress with the computers. It seems that several of the Death Eater groups have been corresponding together using websites and mailing lists. They are encrypted, of course, but we have been working on breaking the code." Lia commented. She, along with several members of Alex's team, had been working steadily on the project.

"I also spoke with my boss, Johnson, today." Alex chimed in. "With what happened with Scott, it seems that he would like me to bring my team back home."

"What!" Several people cried out.

"But we need you here." Tonks declared.

"I told him that, even with the Scott incident, we will be staying." Alex smiled. "Don't worry, I managed to convince him." It seemed that a huge sigh of relief went through the room.

The meeting continued with a new set of assignments being given out. Part of Alex's team was still stationed in Diagon Alley, as well as in Hogsmeade. Snape had also been assigned work, dealing with potions, such as providing medical curatives and some defensive potions that he had been working on.

It was very late when Alex was finally able to retire back to her room. Through the entire meeting it seemed that Snape wouldn't even look at her. He acted as if they were strangers, but then again, she hadn't made an effort to talk to him either. Maybe she would tomorrow.

As she entered her room, she immediately recognized that someone had been in there since the wards were down. Alex drew her wand and carefully crept into the room. What she found inside was the most beautiful bouquet of white roses on the table. Her favorite flower! Picking up the card, she read the words 'Forgive me' written neatly. It was not signed but Alex knew whom they were from. Yes, she would definitely talk to him tomorrow.

Next Chapter: Working with the computers and repercussions of Snape being revealed as a spy!

**Please review and let me know if anyone is still reading the story :)**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Yay! I finally updated. Sorry it took me so long. I've been trying to figure out the best way to finally get Snape and Alex together. I think I have it planned out now…. there's some great stuff to look forward to in the upcoming chapters! Please read and** **review!**

Chapter 12

It was later in the morning when Alex finally headed over to the South Tower to get to work. She had slept in late and had a quick breakfast in her rooms, instead of going down to the Great Hall. She knew Snape would think that she was still avoiding him but in all honesty, she just needed some time to herself. There was a lot to do and she had to rearrange where some of her team were located. Paige was stationed in Hogsmeade, working in a small shop in order to keep her ear open for any information. Carlos and Anitrey were doing the same thing, working between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. They had to be extra careful since the Death Eaters now knew that Alex had been working undercover. It was easy for the enemy to assume that there would be more people infiltrating the area.

Nate and Kimi worked with Lia up in the South Tower, where Alex was currently headed. They had set up base in a small room at the top. This was the only room in the entire castle that allowed Muggle technology to work, made possible for the use of the three computers linked to the Internet.

"What have you found so far?" Alex asked, walking into the room. Nate looked up from the computer he was working on.

"Well it seems that several Death Eaters have been using websites to promote their ideas to other areas of the world. They set up which looks like to be a Muggle hate site based on a minority group, but if you look deeper into what it says, it's clearly someone from the Wizarding World." He explained. He pulled up one of the sites that he had been working on. "Look, here it makes a reference to dirty blood." Alex studied the passage carefully.

"Is there any other evidence that indicates this is not from the Muggle world?" Alex questioned. Even though dirty blood could also mean Mudblood, there needed to be more proof before they could make any clear claims.

"There are blatant references to He Who Must Not Be Named." Kimi chimed in. She leaned over Nate and scrolled to a different part of the website where is refers to their leader as the Dark Lord. "Scott would refer to him as that, right?" Kimi and Nate both looked at Alex, who grimaced at the mention of Scott's name and the memory of what happened not even a week before.

"Yes, Scott would call Voldemort the Dark Lord." She said coldly. "So have you found out any information about who the Death Eaters that are in charge of the information or about any future attacks or meetings?"

"No we haven't." Lia sighed, speaking up from the third computer. She ran her hand through her hair and leaned back in her chair. "The information seems vague. It seems that you need to register as a member to get into any more details."

"You can't just hack into their database?" Alex frowned. She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to register in case it could be linked back to them. They didn't need to be discovered and suffer any more setbacks. Johnson wouldn't stand for it.

"That's what we've been working on today." Kimi said. "We have each taken a website and have been trying to access deeper into it. I just came across some information where it looks like they might be planning on meeting with some members from other countries. But the information isn't clear yet."

"You know, I'm surprised that the Death Eaters are even using Muggle technology. Aren't they supposed to be against anything dealing with Muggles?" Nate commented lightly.

"Yeah they are but the Internet is a great source of communication. You are able to direct messages all over the world in a blink of an eye. There's no owls to be intercepted and you can have an instant response." Lia explained. "Plus, why not use the technology? Half of the Wizarding World doesn't know how to use it, it would be the last place they would think that anyone would look."

"Yeah I guess that's true." Nate admitted. It made sense, if you thought about it because no one would suspect them using the Internet, when it wasn't even normally used in their world. Alex nodded in agreement and took a seat at the small table by the door, where she started to go through some printouts of information from the various websites. She wasn't sure about what she was looking for but anything that mentioned something that could deal with the Wizarding World, she highlighted with a bright yellow marker.

It was sometime in the late afternoon when Alex finally emerged from the South Tower. Lia had come in and out between teaching classes, while Alex, Nate, and Kimi stayed in the room working diligently on the computers. Honestly, Alex hated it. She wasn't very good with computers and couldn't offer any help with hacking into the websites. She spent most of the time working through the printouts, while Kimi and Nate typed away on the computers. She knew that if they could figure out a way to get in, they would have invaluable information at their hands. But she felt like she was more of a hindrance in the room, then being helpful. She wished that the whole mess with Scott never happened so she could be out in the field, instead of under house arrest. And then Snape would never have revealed himself as a spy, and he wouldn't be under house arrest either.

It was now, after grabbing a quick sandwich from the kitchens, Alex made her way down to the dungeons. She had promised herself that she would seek him out today to thank him for the roses and accept his apology. With everything going on, the last thing the both of them needed was to have stress or hostility between them. She reached the classroom door just as the advanced potions class was ending. She could hear Snape giving the students their assignment for homework, and not even minutes before he finished speaking the door flung open as the students filed out. The first ones out the door, several sixth year Slytherins, stopped when they saw Alex standing there.

"Well if it isn't the traitor's floozie. Come to pay your services?" Blaise Zabini sneered. The other Slytherins with him sneered, for the exception of Malfoy, who simply pushed past and headed up the stairs.

"One hundred points from Slytherin." Alex retorted quickly, glaring at the students. The students looked at her, outraged.

"You can't do that! You're not a professor!" Zabini spoke up, his eyes wide in anger at the former potions assistant. To him, she was nothing but dirt under his feet and had no power over him.

"Oh you'd be surprised with that I can do, Mr. Zabini. Now go before I take away another hundred points." Alex sneered, doing a perfect impression of Snape, when he was angry. The students paused for a moment, trying to decide if she was lying or not and they hurried up the stairs to go and check and see if the points were indeed taken from their house. They would be very surprised when the points were actually missing. Dumbledore had given the power to take points away as soon as she had returned to the school, months ago. She just hadn't had a reason to use that power, until now. The rest of the class filed out of the classroom, some students giving her rude looks and others sympathetic ones.

Alex entered the classroom and found Snape sitting at his desk, his head held in his hands. He looked like a defeated man and had simply given up.

"How long has it been this bad?" Alex asked softly, closing the classroom door behind her. She cast a quick spell, to ensure that no students could be eavesdropping outside the door. Snape looked up at her, slightly surprised to find her down in his classroom. He had figured that she was still annoyed with him, since he had not seen her all morning.

"Ever since I returned to teaching, a few days ago. It seems that nothing can remain secret in this school very long." Snape sighed, leaning back into his chair. The class had gone horrible. His students, particularly the Slytherins, were openly defiant to him. The ones who had Death Eaters for parents had informed their children of their Head of House's betrayal against their master. Thus, the students were making him pay for it. "I tired to hand in my resignation but Albus wouldn't even look at it. He threw it into the fire and simply told me that I had some lesson planning to catch up on."

"He has faith in you, Severus." Alex responded quietly, taking a seat on the edge of his desk.

"So it would seem, although I don't pretend to know why." He retorted.

"He sees the same thing I see when I look at you." She said softly. He looked up at her curiously. "I see your strength and determination to make amends for your past, even though you have long made up for it. I also see you're caring for your students even though you claim that you don't." He just stared at her and she began to feel slightly awkward, opening up to him like that. She doubted that anyone had told him that about himself, besides Dumbledore. She stood up and started making her way to the door. "I should probably go."

"Alexandra, if you have some time, there's something I could use some help with." Snape said suddenly. Alex nodded and returned to her seat on the edge of the desk. "Albus has asked me to start making large batches of potions for the hospital wing as well as to use in defense for the war. It will be taking up most of my time, leaving hardly any to prepare for my classes. I was wondering if you would be willing to assist me for the next few weeks. Unless you have a project that you are currently working on?"

"The only project I am overseeing is the one with the computer's but my team and Lia are basically in control of that. I would love to help you, Severus." Alex smiled, looking forward to some potions work. It had been too long since she had worked on brewing potions.

"I have one that I was planning on starting now. You have made a blood replenishing potion before right?" Snape asked, using his wand to enlarge his cauldron to make a double the quantity of the potion in order to store enough for the upcoming battle.

"Yes although it has been a few years." Alex admitted but headed over to the cabinet to pull out the necessary ingredients. "How much of the potion do you think Poppy will need?"

"As much as possible. I was thinking about starting out with doubling all the potions on the list that Dumbledore gave me. Then going through and making more backups for here and also for St. Mungo's." Alex nodded her head in agreement. Once the battle starts, they would be treating people here at Hogwarts in addition to the hospital. Especially if Voldemort were to attack Hogwarts, which seemed to be the plan as far as anyone could tell. The two of them continued to work late into the night. They talked lightly but mainly stayed silent, focusing on making the potion accurately. Once it was bottled and stored away, Alex headed back up to her room. She was exhausted but happy to be working on something. Maybe being under house arrest wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

**So they're finally working civilly with each other. Let me know what you thought about this chapter. Please click that nice little button below and review! It might just get me writing faster!**


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